ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Infallibility of the Prophets in the Qur'an The Case of (S) Before we proceed further, it is advisable to refresh your memory by reading the first part of the discussion on ' ismah , especially the verses which prove the infallibility of the prophets in general. Chapter 93 (az-Zuha) verse 7 "Did He not find you an orphan and so gave shelter? And find you dhalan and so He guided?

And find you in need and so made rich?" If the Prophet of Islam (S) is infallible (ma'sûm), then why does Allah say that He found him dhalan which normally means “one who has gone astray” or “one who strays from the right path” or “one who is lost”? First of all, the common meaning is not applicable here. In the normal usage of the word, it is applied for non-believers.

But this meaning is negated by another verse of the Qur'an where Allah says, “I swear by the star when it goes down, that your companion {i.e., Muhammad (S)} has not gone astray (ma dhalla), nor does he err…” (53:1-2) Secondly, even if we take it in the meaning of “lost” or “gone astray”, it could be interpreted without denying the 'ismah of the Prophet (S): you can say that he was wandering in search of revelation. Finally, the idea of being “lost” does not always have a negative sense to it.

Read the following two sentences carefully: (1) “I was lost.” (2) “The ring was lost.” In the first sentence, there is a negative sense; but in the second sentence, there is no negative connotation to the ring that is lost. If we use the word “lost” for the Prophet (S) in the second sense, then there should be no problem at all.

We can then explain the verse as follows: “And [did not God] find you lost [among your people], and so He guided [them to you].” The last interpretation is supported by 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, a close companion of the Prophet (S), and also by Imam 'Ali ar-Ridha (a.s.).

Chapter 48 (al-Fath) verses 2-3: Verily We granted thee a manifest victory; so that God may: forgive thee thy sins of the past and those to follow, fulfill His favour to thee, and guide thee on the straight path and that God may help thee with powerful help. These verses were revealed in reference to the Treaty of Hudaybiyya in which the Prophet (S) made peace with unbelievers of Mecca in the year 6 A.H.

The Prophet (S) had gone with only 1400 lightly armed Muslims with the intention of doing the minor pilgrimage (' umrah ).